Philippine police chief, 7 others injured in chopper crash
Jim Gomez | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 5 months AGO
The site of a helicopter crash is cordoned off in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, march 5, 2020. The helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief and other people crashed Thursday, officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2019, file photo provided by Philippine National Police Public Information Office, Lt.Gen. Archie Gamboa salutes during the flag-raising ceremony at Camp Crame in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines. A helicopter carrying Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa and other people crashed Thursday, March 5, 2020, injuring those on board, officials said. (Philippine National Police via AP, File)
The site of a helicopter crash is cordoned off in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, March 5, 2020. The helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief and other people crashed Thursday, officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A policeman looks at the rotor of a helicopter that crashed in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, March 5, 2020. A helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief, three generals and four people crashed Thursday after hitting a power cable in a swirl of dust as it took off, injuring those on board, police officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
A member of the Bureau of Fire takes pictures of power cables that were caught by a police helicopter that crashed in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, March 5, 2020. A helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief, three generals and four people crashed Thursday after hitting a power cable in a swirl of dust as it took off, injuring those on board, police officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Investigators inspect a helicopter that crashed in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, March 5, 2020. The helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief, three generals and four people crashed Thursday after hitting a power cable in a swirl of dust as it took off, injuring those on board, police officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
An investigator walks beside a police helicopter that crashed in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, March 5, 2020. The helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief, three generals and four people crashed Thursday after hitting a power cable in a swirl of dust as it took off, injuring those on board, police officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Investigators retrieve items from a police helicopter that crashed in San Pedro, Laguna province, south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, March 5, 2020. The helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief, three generals and four people crashed Thursday after hitting a power cable in a swirl of dust as it took off, injuring those on board, police officials said. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
SAN PEDRO, Philippines (AP) — A helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief and seven other people crashed after hitting a power cable on takeoff Thursday, critically injuring two other generals on board.
Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa and the others were pulled from the wreckage by police officers on a village road in San Pedro city in Laguna province, south of Manila. Gamboa was injured in the shoulder and right arm but flashed a thumbs-up and said, “I’m OK” while being wheeled to an ambulance.
In a video shown by the DZMM network, Gamboa later said from his hospital bed that he would report back to work on Monday and asked for prayers for those who remained hospitalized.
Two passengers — Maj. Gen. Mariel Magaway and Maj. Gen. Jose Ma. Victor Ramos — were in critical condition, while the rest, including the police spokesman and the police flight crew, were in stable condition, police Maj. Gen. Benigno Durana Jr. told reporters.
The aircraft took off from a police compound in Laguna and hit a power cable before crashing onto a road near houses, witness Glenda Garcia said.
“It was really loud and we ran away in fear because we thought the helicopter would move out of control in a circle and hit us," Garcia said, adding that power in her village was cut due to the crash.
No one on the ground were hurt by the crash. Part of a rotor blade hit the roof of a house, Garcia and police officials said.
TV video showed the white Bell 429 helicopter resting on its left its side, with men scrambling to put out a small fire in one part of the wreckage and pull out the passengers and flight crew. Gamboa sat on the right side of the chopper, police said.
The group had flown to the area to inspect vehicles seized by highway patrol officers for various violations. They were heading to a police camp for meetings when the helicopter crashed, police said.
Other police helicopters were grounded temporarily for inspections after the crash, police said.
Gamboa took over the national police force in October when his predecessor retired early after being linked to illegal drugs.
The 200,000-strong police force has enforced President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug crackdown, which has left thousands of mostly petty drug suspects dead in a campaign that has alarmed Western governments and human rights groups.
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Gomez reported from Manila. Associated Press video journalists Joeal Calupitan and Vicente Gonzales contributed to this report.
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